This is fine.
Rating: 
Synopsis
Two couples travel to a remote rental home in the desert for a sex and drug fueled escape from reality. As tensions escalate over the course of a debaucherous night, things take an unexpected turn when a woman (Fairuza Balk) claiming to be a neighbor with car trouble shows up at the door. She seems harmless enough… or so they think.
Hit the jump for my thoughts on the film.
Lachlan Denton and his brother Zac were part of my favorite Aussie outfit, The Ocean Party, with each working on their own side-projects along the way. But, as many of you know, Zac passed away suddenly last year, leaving a lasting impression on all of us. Now, with a new tune from Lachlan Denton & Studio Magic, we hear Lachlan coming to grips with the impression Zac left on his own life. It’s creates a strange contradiction whilst listening: the song is beautiful and yet the lyrical content is heartbreaking…still, you’re captivated by both aspects, perhaps the lasting mark that will remain with listeners as they absorb A Brother, the new LP out next week via Bobo Integral/Osborne Again.
Boston based trio Honey Cutt just signed to Kanine Records and are celebrating with the release of a brand new single. Their first Kanine release, “Suburban Dream”, is a surf inspired, swinging track that is sure to help you ease into a fun weekend. Now gaining exposure on a bigger label, I’m sure we’ll be hearing more from Honey Cutt this year.
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Admittedly, I was all in with the reemergence of psych rock that came with things like Levitation and the like. But, after a few years, it got kind of boring; it felt like everyone was recycling the same bits and pieces, and I just grew weary of listening to the same song over and over. Fast forward to now, and there’s this new LP from the Flower Graves. It was presented to me as two halves of an LP; sure, there are song breaks, but the presentation really let me immerse myself within the album’s confines…which is how I fell in love with it. You can find the stereotypical psych tropes, like fuzzed out riffs and smokey guitar noodling, but peak beneath the songs and you’ll find this striking pop sensibility. “Living in Disguise,” for instance, definitely employs a stronger sense of melody than one typically finds, leaning almost towards dreamy pop realms. I’m partial to Side B’s “Plastic Orange;” it feels like a pop hot air balloon just slowly descends atop the whole LP, which, in turn, sets you up for the heavy riffs of “Night Byrd.” The whole Living in Disguise LP is a journey, but one easily worth your time today; the album drops Friday via Wallflower Records.
Having formed in 2016, Belgium’s Poppel don’t seem to have slowed down on the writing process; they just released Hit It last year, and already they’re back with another collection of endearing songs. This playful new video comes with the announcement of Make Sense, the band’s second long-player. The video’s personality almost seems to impact the listening experience, with those jangling guitars offering up the appropriate amount of exuberance. Still, stylistically, you can sense a hint of dreaminess oozing through this track, which perhaps finds the band treading that Real Estate territory that makes the kids swoon. You can grab the new album on September 20th from Meritorio Records.
Late yesterday, B-Boys dropped another tune from their forthcoming Dudu LP, which is now only a few weeks away from release. But, while their previous singles this go-round have been these short punchy jaunts, this new number stretches beyond the four minute mark. Interestingly, it still holds onto the same propulsive art-punk vibe with sort of indifferent spoken-word delivery; it does differ with touches more of instrumental work where the band are able to flex their muscles, only building tension in their songwriting for the emotional release of the listener. It’s supposed to offer up a bit of respite from the “instant pace” in everything we do, which perhaps is why the band have chosen to sit back and let you explore this track a little more. Dudu drops via Captured Tracks on July 26th.
It’s been quite some time since I last posted on Jeff Walls and his Portland based project known as Campfires. Focusing mostly on recording and spotty touring over the last few years, Walls is returning this year with a new album called Fare Trax coming out on August 30th via Fire Talk. As a preview of the new material, we are happy to share the very first single entitled “I’ll Go Home”. Leaving behind some of the grit pop from earlier releases, this new material features a more washed out sound with some small hints of twangy, country guitars. It seems like a perfect evolution for an ever evolving artist.
Great pop rock comes few and far between, but it definitely seems like a lot of it has been coming from Mal Blum in the last few months, building anticipation for the release of Pity Boy. It’s a pretty classic formula with verse chorus verse etc, but dammit if this chorus won’t get stuck in your head all day long; I love the infectiousness that begs for a sing-a-long in the live set. The subject matter seems deals with the narrator feeling invisible, which could relate to Mal Blum or not; I’m sure we’ve all felt that way at times, unfortunately. Jus another reason to connect to Pity Boy; it drops Friday via Don Giovanni.
Having been some three years since I last heard from Seattle based Tincho, I was excited when they sent me some new music a few days ago. The new song, “I Got Home Today”, features a fairly straightforward tack on indie rock with chill guitars, quiet vocals, and a nicely executed progression. Think Beach Fossils if some of that washed out, shoegaze effect was lost and replaced with a cleaner, bright sound. It’s good stuff.
Tincho will be releasing a debut album sometime later this year. Stay tuned.
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This new Strange Ranger tune has a lot of people’s interest at the moment, with the band poised for big things when they drop Remembering the Rockets here in a few weeks. On their latest single, we get to here keyboardist Fiona Woodman take the lead, which, for my two cents, creates sort of a new texture for the band’s sound. The background has this almost post-rock feel to it, blending into a sort dream pop piece once Woodman’s voice enters the picture. Tucked into the whole of the album, it gives you sort of this early reflective piece, allowing you to completely give into the album’s emotional appeal. The LP drops on July 26th via Tiny Engines.
